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Players watching on sidelines as Trade Deadline nears

Players watching on sidelines as Trade Deadline nears

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Manny Acta Chris Antonetti

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CLEVELAND -- The Tigers are surging and the White Sox are making moves.

The Indians, meanwhile, have remained pretty much the same in the American League Central. They haven't yet fallen out of the race -- they were three and a half games behind Detroit for first place entering Sunday -- but they haven't shown they will remain in it, either.

"Everyone knows what's going on, but [trades are] something that players can't control," Indians pitcher Zach McAllister said. "That's something that the front office is in control of, and we have no say."

The White Sox improved its team by adding pitcher Brett Myers from the Astros on Saturday, and they've already traded for hitter Kevin Youkilis. The Tigers, who added free agent prize Prince Fielder in the offseason, have started to play up to their potential.

Indians general manger Chris Antonetti maintains that the team is actively pursing trades, but Cleveland has yet to make a move. The Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is July 31.

"The front office is looking for the right pieces, not just any pieces," said Indians reliever Vinnie Pestano. "I'm sure there's a bunch of guys we could have gone out and just acquired, but until the 31st comes and goes, I think it's unfair to start looking around at what other team's are doing. We don't know really what's going on up there. We've heard that they are aggressively pursuing stuff."

Pestano, though, isn't sure whether the Indians should be buyers at the Deadline. They entered Sunday's game against the Orioles losers of six of their last eight, and they were on the verge of falling below .500 for the first time since April 14.

"We keep leaning back on the 'We haven't played our best baseball yet' line, and we haven't," Pestano said. "But we've been very inconsistent this year, and I don't know if adding a piece is going to bring that consistency or not. It's gotta be the right piece."